The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer, one of the masters of the silent era, wanted to capture the intense will and suffering of such a singular person. So he pared down his story to Joan’s inquisition, trial, and execution at the hands of the English. With radically expressive performances, cinematography, and editing, along with exhaustively researched costuming and a meticulously off-kilter set, Dreyer created a work of art as powerful and mysterious as any film ever made.